Apologies everyone, but I've not had internet access since last Friday and cellular connectivity continues to be intermittent. I'll be getting a new chapter up soon as I get a solid connection. Glad to report that me and mine here in Asheville are doing as well as possible under these conditions. Thanks again for your understanding, and I can't wait for life to return to normal and chapters to start going back up.
2024-10-01 22:11:46 +0000 UTC View PostHarald told Pastoric everything.
It was surprisingly easy.
The priest was endlessly patient and curious, and his expressions were mobile and encouraging. Beyond that, his concern seemed genuine. Harald believed the man when he proved easy to shock and took bitter satisfaction in revealing his darkest secrets at long last.
Pastoric listened with fierce focus, his brows lowered, and asked probing questions here and there to elucidate points that Harald had forgotten to mention...
2024-09-27 13:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostI've sold the audiobook rights of Thrones of the Fallen to Podium. I'm going to be structuring each 'book' as a 150k word arc, or roughly 45 chapters each.
This has caused me to step back and eye the narrative sweep of the tale thus far, and realize, reluctantly, that some profound pacing/structural changes are necessary.
On one hand, this will result in shuffling some things around, cutting others, and tightening everything up, meaning that the story you've been rea...
2024-09-24 14:27:19 +0000 UTC View PostHarald opened his eyes.
He was in a strange room. Relief flooded him. Comfortable, clean, with morning sunlight pouring in through large windows. The sheets were soft, his body relaxed and without pain, and -
A memory came to him.
- screams erupting from beneath a canvas tarp as he punched the squirming shapes trapped below, punched and broke bones, caused blood to well up to soak the canvas -
Harald sat up abruptly, eyes wide, hand going to his throat. What the -?
... 2024-09-24 13:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostSam watched, aghast, as Harald massacred the hobgoblins.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away.
From his very first scream as he charged their massed ranks it was an incredible, horrific, nonstop orgy of blood and death. He appeared less a man than an agent of ruin, his strength ridiculous, his vitality unstoppable, the hobgoblins flying apart as he bowled through their number again and again.
It was too much. The sound of bones snapping, the gargled screams, the wet socking sou...
2024-09-20 16:03:57 +0000 UTC View Post“Nessa!”
Arrows were raining down on Harald as he stared at the collapsed tent. Blocks of stone lay about his fallen companion, with one massive block having crushed her leg. She was attempting to claw free, but was trapped amidst large bulky objects that were now covered by the canvas.
The Shield of Valor appeared just above him, and he heard the thunk of arrows hitting it.
What to do?
Time seemed to slow.
Sam was screaming his name from th...
2024-09-17 13:38:11 +0000 UTC View PostThe hobgoblin leader’s presence was such that Harald fell back in dismay. Nessa gave ground, eyes wide, and while they both kept their weapons up, each moment they didn’t press Barko back was time for more hobgoblins to flood into the back of the room and start moving up the sides.
But even as Harald felt unnatural horror and fear wash over him, a soft white radiance arose about his own body, enveloping him with warmth and comfort.
Sam’s Guardian’s Mantle.
T...
2024-09-13 16:24:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
Quick question for you all, as you know this story best: which of the three cover styles above do you think would work best for Thrones of the Fallen? Which is likely to help it find the broadest audience? I've a sneaking suspicion I missed the mark with the current one (B), but don't want to double down on that mistake for when the book eventually finds its way to Amazon and Audible.
(A and C are AI-generated, and are here simply to help ge...
2024-09-10 17:50:52 +0000 UTC View PostThe Dungeon Portal’s first triangular face skipped the 13th, 14th, and 15th Levels, and led directly to the 16th. It was seen as a rite of passage, to graduate from the pentagonal faces that opened to the first dozen and move into the very first Copper-ranked level. Anyone with a writ could use the Copper Gate to access the first dozen floors, but that was seen as child’s play. The real action began on the 16th Level, and it was only after a successful sortie to that level that you got to...
2024-09-10 13:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostHaving decided that Sam and Kársek were uniquely unqualified for a spot of sordid skullduggery, Harald, Vic, and Nessa proceeded into the Shambles later that day by themselves.
The sky had become overcast, with dark clouds pressing low upon the towers that lined the final curvature of the Eternal Circuit. The air was heavy with the promise of rain, and people hurried to accomplish their tasks before the deluge broke upon Flutic.
Vic and Nessa were trapped in a silent detente, wit...
2024-09-06 17:11:54 +0000 UTC View PostOver the past few weeks you guys have been incredible with your feedback, comments, and DMs. I asked your thoughts on Thrones of the Fallen, and you responded, loudly and clearly.
You guys are enjoying the story. It's not an excellent web serial, and it has pacing issues, but perhaps, when seen as a novel? You guys are here for the ride.
I'll be honest. I was thinking of throwing in the towel there for a while. My hopes for this project was to grow it slowly but steadily ...
2024-09-03 18:48:27 +0000 UTC View PostThey repaired to the library once more after finishing lunch, and there were served coffees and desserts. Everyone claimed chairs, but the focal point clearly remained the countess, who sat by the empty hearth.
“Vic, Nessa, I understand that until now you’ve only been part of my scale-harvesting crew. What I’m about to discuss therefore doesn’t pertain to your previous line of work. It is my hope, however, that you’ll be amenable to helping Harald with what’s to come?”
... 2024-09-03 13:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostWhat does one do while waiting to learn if your new liege will damn you for your demonic patronage? For Harald, the answer was obvious: he and his companions resumed their training regimen with all intensity. Either Countess Sonora would countenance his relationship with the demon Vorakhar, or, despite her assurances to the contrary, Harald would be awoken by the Inquisitors knocking on his door.
The matter was out of his hands. All he could control was his personal quest for power.
... 2024-08-30 13:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostHarald felt the walls of the library press in around him. His breath felt strangled in his throat, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Countess Sonora.
How had he miscalculated so badly?
Not only had he failed in impressing her, he’d given terrible offense.
The library was still but for the crackling of the fire. Nobody seemed to breathe. Sam’s face was pale, Nessa’s alarmed, Kársek was a statue by the door, and even Vic’s jaw was clenched in shock.
Hara...
2024-08-27 15:06:51 +0000 UTC View PostVic yanked open the front door even as he hurled the shopping bags aside. “The carriage!”
“The House Celestara carriage?” cried out Sam in disbelief.
“It’s got four wheels,” said Harald, rushing to Kársek’s side. “That’s all we need!”
The dwarf was grimacing as if experiencing deep intestinal pain. “Go without me. I’ll try to hold her back.
“That’s not how we operate,” said Harald, clamping down on all his questions and incredulity. “...
2024-08-23 13:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostHarald frowned the whole way home. People seemed to sense him coming and some instinct warned them to step aside, so that without realizing it, Harald carved a path through the crowds, ignoring the stares and hushed voices that trailed after him.
Lady Hammerfell’s words echoed in his mind. He felt at once reassured and more lost. She’d affirmed that what he felt was natural, part and parcel of needing to be the best, but beyond that, what had she offered him?
Nuanced, honest f...
2024-08-20 13:02:08 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone!
We're closing in on 100 chapters and I wanted to get a sense of how you all felt about the story so far.
To be brutally honest, I'm not sure it's working, at least, not as a webnovel. Patreon growth has been flat or slowly declining for months now, and while I know the 2/week posting rate probably isn't helping, there are plenty of examples out there of other serials that post at the same rate and have done well.
So! How are you feeling about Thrones of the Fa...
2024-08-19 15:23:46 +0000 UTC View PostStill feeling restless, Harald decided to eschew his customary morning run and simply head out into the city. He could lose himself in intense training, but instead he wanted to think things through. He dressed in warm woolens with a heavy all-weather cloak, and set out into the dreary morning, a thick fog lying heavy over the cobblestoned streets. Carriages would appear out of the murk to loom massive and dark and then rumble away, disappearing just as quickly. People hurried by, chins tucke...
2024-08-16 20:28:36 +0000 UTC View PostI'm writing this one from my phone. I moved into my new office yesterday, but while shuttling back and forth I blew out my minivan's back tire.
Fabulous.
Long story short, I'll finally get back into my office this morning and will immediately post the chapter. Shouldn't take too long, but apologies about the delay!
2024-08-16 12:30:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning Harald rose early, not to run, but with the intention of getting out of the house and simply walk. The day before had been nothing but circuitous discussions and fitful bouts of training. It had done nothing to relieve him of his conflicted emotions, nor settle his uncertainty about the path they’d chosen to tread as a crew.
He wanted certainty. He wanted that particular bliss that came from knowing you’d chosen the single best option. But as persuasive as his frien...
2024-08-13 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostKársek returned to the ancient garden shed once their conversation in the kitchen was finished. He had worked hard and happily at converting it into a new soulkeep, embracing both how it would undoubtedly be a temporary vehicle for his wandering spirit yet also a necessary creation for his peace of mind.
The previous gardener, Mickle, had taken good care of the small building and its tools. The shelves were sturdily built, the floor planks carefully set, and the tools hung from pegs in...
2024-08-09 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostHarald gaped. “Slay Thracos? The man is a Silver-ranked raider!”
Vorakhar canted his head to one side. And?
Harald raked his fingers through his hair. “You already agreed to this?”
The demon’s silence was answer enough.
“And in one month?” The cavern seemed to press in on Harald, so that he leaped from the chair to begin to pace. “I’ve just finished dealing with my duel with Yeoric. Now I have to fight Thracos as well?”
You sound ...
2024-08-06 13:00:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe hobgoblins never had a chance.
It took no small amount of effort and fortune to reach the ledge, but by being patient and scrupulously attentive to where he stepped, Harald was able to negotiate the rocky slopes and finally slide out onto the smooth rock. He could just make out the hobgoblins talking gruffly amongst each other below. With the aid of the amulet, he could even make out what they were saying.
But he didn’t want to know.
On some perverse level, it was easi...
2024-08-02 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostThe Amulet of the Hobgoblin King. Harald bounced it in his palm. An Uncommon Artifact, which meant it was worth a Zenith Tide, or 10,000 Copper Crescents. On the face of it the amulet seemed more valuable; this kind of sway over goblinoids felt very powerful, but then again, it was only useful to weak raiders who couldn’t just obliterate every goblin and hobgoblin in their path.
But here, now, it felt like a game changer. He’d have to swap out the Dawnblade, which was tough, but he ...
2024-07-30 13:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe tunnel widened dramatically as it curved down and around through the earth, its walls shifting from rough rock to blocks of slate. Shadowpaw padded alongside him, sniffing and alert, and Harald moved forward cautiously. He wanted to press up against the tunnel wall to make himself a smaller target, but the curving walls were turning the tunnel into a circular tube, so that only by walking dead center did he have a flat surface.
Around and down it went, his scale lantern pushing back...
2024-07-26 13:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostSam nestled into the curved window seat, a cozy nook formed by the lower third of the great circular window. The recessed sill was lined with cushions and blankets, transforming the space into a welcome embrace where she felt hidden from the night and the city outside.
Mug of tea cupped in her hands, she watched the traffic streaming in and out of The Flowering Bower’s front door below. She could hear the sound of the band playing and the guests laughing and conversing through her flo...
2024-07-23 13:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostHarald rubbed at his face, glanced around one more time to ensure he wasn’t about to be ambushed, then moved to crouch with his back to the wall so that he couldn’t be surprised. Blade resting across his knees, Goldchops and Shadow Mastiff watching over him, he focused on the new message and drank in their gifts:
Abyssal Initiate 3
Active Ability Unlocked: Demonic Edge
Unleash the unholy fury of your blade; let your s...
2024-07-19 13:00:16 +0000 UTC View Post
The Dungeon Plaza was a mess. Terror bird corpses were being scraped off the cobblestones from where Lady Hammerfell had smashed them to paste, while those who’d survived in a more bodily fashion were being piled up like cordwood. House Drakenhart raiders were in evidence, working alongside the city guard, and numerous city officials stood about in small groups, clearly discussing the situation even at this late hour.
Harald moved to lean against the closest building and study the sit...
2024-07-18 04:18:05 +0000 UTC View PostApologies, but Tuesday's chapter will be late this week due to a combination of COVID and a cross country move. Not fun. I failed to get all my ducks in a row, but I'll definitely publish all the chapters this week as soon as the dust settles.
Thanks for your patience!
2024-07-16 13:00:16 +0000 UTC View Post